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Deborah Merkin

Author image of Deborah Merkin
Deborah Merkin, CEO and Founder of GiftCard Partners™, Inc. and Engage2Reward™ LLC, brings two decades of experience to the forefront of the gift card industry. Armed with a BS from University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from Babson College, Deborah's career spans technology startups and corporate giants, including AT&T Capital and Staples. A pioneer in establishing and shaping lucrative new distribution channels, Deborah’s expertise grew through consultancy roles with Linens’N Things and CVS®. This journey marked her entrance into the gift card and incentives industry and ultimately laid the foundation for the conception of GiftCard Partners. A Certified Women Owned Business, GiftCard Partners was founded in 2005 and has received the prestigious Best and Brightest Company to Work For® Award for 10 years nationally. With a focus on assertiveness and balanced steadiness, Deborah continues to drive innovation and growth in the dynamic world of gift cards. Beyond her professional success, Deborah is deeply involved in community service, recently joining the board of JBBBS.org and previously serving on the board of JFSMW.org for 5 years.
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Recent Posts

Corporate Wellness, Foster a Culture of Health in the Workplace

Whether you've just implemented a corporate wellness program or have had one in place for years, one thing to pay close attention to is the culture of health that it creates in your workplace. Without it, your program is like a boat on dry land...not really going anywhere. Company culture is built from the top down.

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3 Signs of a Truly Loyal Employee

Great and loyal employees believe in your vision, and are willing to do everything they can to help achieve it and make your team stronger. Loyalty and longevity aren't always synonymous, and a truly loyal employee will challenge when appropriate and praise when appropriate. Here are 3 signs you have loyal talent on your hands.
  1. They dissent and disagree: This seems counter-intuitive to employee loyalty, but an employee who can give honest opinions for the sake of building the team and making it better is more valuable than an employee that keeps quiet. Reward employees for making bold statements if it helps the company. Spot rewards for taking the risk, like a small denomination gift card to Speedway1-800-Flowers or The Limited is a great way to reinforce important, but perceived high risk behavior.
  2. They support the company in public: Everyone wants their fights and disagreements to stay behind closed doors. No matter what an employee thinks and says internally, to the outside world they show their appreciation with praise for the work environment and share knowledgeable facts about the company and products.
  3. They praise their peers: Peer-to-peer recognition programs are important and empowering. Peer recognition helps employees get to know each other and bond, while helping each other be and do the best they can. Encourage it by letting employees allot points to each other for later rewards.
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Gamification Boosts Employee Engagement

We have talked quite a bit about gamification for all kinds of employee incentives in this space. But this is 
big news. Adding gamification to an employee engagement strategy alone raises overall employee engagement by 29%. To quantify that in popular social media standards
, gamification raises social sharing on Facebook and Twitter by 22% and raises content exploration by 68% according to VentureBeat. So now that we know it works, and before everyone rushes to implement gamification and peer recognition programs
, it is important to understand 
how gamification can raise the bar on your employee engagement initiatives. Gamification builds personal connections. In order for employees to compete against each other and recognize each other's accomplishments and good work
, they have to get to know each other. It is those relationships and increased peer interaction that keeps employees engaged at work. It also keeps them happy and loyal, so implementing gamification can be a great way to maintain a positive, productive and healthy work environment.
For more information on implementing gamification for increased employee engagement check out this article from Maritz Motivation Solutions.

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New Government Rules Push Employee Wellness

Why Employee Ambassadors Improve the Bottom Line

Employee ambassadors are great for any brand. They know how to sell the product, the know their customer base and, if you're lucky, they are loyal to the organizational mission. But brand ambassadors also directly affect your organization's bottom line, because they have a huge impact on consumer experience.
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